10/28/2026
The newest memorial on the National Mall is open.
The National Desert Shield & Desert Storm Memorial was dedicated this past Saturday at Constitution Ave and 23rd St NW, just steps from the Lincoln Memorial.
I walked it this week and was struck by how much story is packed into the design. A few things to look for when you visit:
- Walk it clockwise. The path itself is the “left hook,” the maneuver coalition forces used to sweep around and outflank Iraqi troops. Every soldier, tank, and jet on the wall moves left to right to follow it.
- Two raptors 🦅 take flight from the wall. The eagle represents the United States and the falcon, Kuwait’s national bird, represents Kuwait.
- The Unity Shield at the center is a fountain ringed with the names of the coalition nations that stood with the U.S. to liberate Kuwait.
- The carved relief shows troops, tanks, and aircraft surging forward, including the F-117 stealth fighter and the A-10 Warthog. Look closely and you’ll spot women service members too.
- The landscaping is meant to evoke the desert. Desert Storm veterans were asked what mattered most and they asked for the desert landscape.
- American sculptor, Emily Bedard, first designed the relief wall in clay than sculpture then carved the granite in Italy. Another American sculptor, Rob Eccleston, a veteran himself, created massive steel birds of prey.
Roughly 600,000 Americans deployed for these operations. This memorial took more than 15 years of work by veterans to make happen, and it’s worth adding to your next walk past the Lincoln.
Want to see it with a guide? Ask us about adding it to a private Mall tour or student group itinerary!
